Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi

Three weeks ago I got a partial powerchain over three teeth to close a gap and move the centrals to the middle but so far nothing happened! Is there a chance it will start to move or should I call them or something? My next adjustment is in 3 weeks. Here is a pic:



Today it looks the same. Any suggestions?

I have had something similar for five months and it takes a long time to move teeth only a bit. Sometimes I would notice my teeth moving just near my adjustment time, sometimes just after the chain went on. You will probably get another chain next adjustment which will have more elasticity in it to keep the tooth moving. Its hard to notice teeth moving when you are watching everyday, but they are! Just takes time. My gaps are nearly closed now - about half a mm on each side.

5 months? I wonder how this gap was created within 2 weeks! Any ideas about this?

I have very similar spacing. I've had powerhains since June and the gaps are still there. It's frustrating when you hear about people's gaps closing in hours, but not all of us are that lucky.

It's funny, my gaps that I'd had all my life closing in hours (or maybe a couple of days. My gaps that opened up during treatment that I did not have pre braces have taken since September and are not yet fully closed. Maybe it depends on the amount of force that is used or something... Good luck and I hope those pesky gaps closesoon!

Sometimes powerchains work many weeks after wearing them. Just when you think they have lost all their power, a tooth moves. I don't know if it's a combination of archwire and powerchain but I've seen teeth move long after the powerchain went on.

I'm in the same boat. Couple of weeks of powerchains, no progress. I'm so impatient to see some change.

Generally the top teeth respond quicker to powerchains than the bottom teeth. That's what my ortho told me, and that was my personal experience. It has something to do with the lower jaw bone.

I had a couple of bottom molar extraction gaps that took FOREVER to close, but finally they did close with the help of "closing loops" put into the arch wire. You just have to be patient. Everyone's teeth respond differently.

Umm I forgot to point it out.. This is not an extraction hole or something I was born with. It was created within the first 3 weeks.

Well I have four powerchains to close my extraction gaps and move teeth back. I went today for ligs change only but a bit more happened. The bottom teeth are moving better and closing the gaps but the top are slower. So, in goes a new arch wire and shorter chains, boy i can feel that. Maybe you need shorter one too to give it more power. Anyway my appointments are going to be more regular now to keep an eye and replace the worn out chains to a new ones yet again. Might be worth it to mention to your ortho that you think is taking long and he/she might change something for you, you may need new wire too. I hope things start to move along soon.

My gap looks the same as yours maybe mine is larger. I would give it a good 2-3 months to close it completely. I bet in the next month you see it start closing up. My gaps were not there when I started either, they were made from moving teeth back.

Thanks, this sheds some light on this. Oh no.... 3 months more of powerchains and no curry

Think about it. Maybe: If the gap opened it probably was for a reason, so the tooth isn't going to move back the same place it came from. Other teeth are going to move to fill the gap. So its not just putting a tooth back where it came from, it's moving other teeth to fill the gap.

Yes you are right! The gap was created by moving teeth a bit outwards. Now it should close by moving the centrals sideways. Apparently this is slower.

I have had my braces on 11 months. I had an extraction one month into braces. Since that time I have had gaps open up, then another chain goes on and it closes, then another opens up and so on. For the longest time I had a huge gap between my two front teeth, (which my husband said was most attractive) At my last appointment, my ortho took off all my chains , which I had over all my teeth, and only put one on my front teeth to close the gap there. Now I have another gap on the side. It seems never ending. AND, I still have the gap where the extraction was. Sometimes I wonder if he will ever get them all closed.

gardnr